tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post5095864507288953874..comments2024-03-29T03:48:42.512-05:00Comments on Althouse: "White Wednesday" — the fight against compulsory hijab in Iran.Ann Althousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-75267786750021795522018-01-02T23:32:09.267-06:002018-01-02T23:32:09.267-06:00"This is exactly what every serious religion ..."This is exactly what every serious religion asks of its followers. Islam, Mohammed, and Allah can easily be substituted for Christianity, Jesus, and God."<br /><br />Really? I am not familiar with the Christian equivalents to, say, jihad, taqiyya, dhimmitude, etc.hombrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12670099074010641958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-48431879230354692582018-01-02T19:41:08.480-06:002018-01-02T19:41:08.480-06:00But Islam isn't. that's its major flaw. Is...<i>But Islam isn't. that's its major flaw. Islam requires its followers to attempt to live their lives as closely to the example of Mohammed as they can. It insists that Islam is the revealed perfect will of Allah that cannot be changed in any way.</i><br /><br />This is exactly what every serious religion asks of its followers. Islam, Mohammed, and Allah can easily be substituted for Christianity, Jesus, and God.<br /><br />Brigham Young set up a Christian Theocracy in Utah and asked his followers to cohere to exacting social and economic theories. My grandmother was born in Orderville.<br /><br />John Adams went to the constitutional convention as a delegate from a state which had long hectored any religion other than its own Puritanism.<br /><br />Both of those men were born in North America because they had ancestors who fled Christian religious wars in Europe.<br /><br />The point is one of degree, but of dynanism. The prescriptions Brigham Young declared for Utah did not require torture, for example. The laws the Massachusetts Bay Colony levied against Quakers did not involve stake burnings. The fact that my Massachusetts town doesn't have a liquor store derives from blue laws which derived from the temperance movement, which derived from puritanism. Nevertheless, I'm willing to call it a democratic town.<br /><br />Senegal is not Saudi Arabia. Sufis are not Wahhabis. People change faster than theology.Henryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14520113896946845614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-43898013992831542622018-01-02T19:07:43.345-06:002018-01-02T19:07:43.345-06:00PS: I purchased the book when first published whil...PS: I purchased the book when first published while stationed in the UK as a young AF Captain who spent a lot of time down in Tripoli for bomb and gunnery practice when old King Idris was still in power.virgil xenophonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14577165785872035948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-90352291112287507812018-01-02T18:59:50.065-06:002018-01-02T18:59:50.065-06:00People here who wish to learn more about the Arab ...People here who wish to learn more about the Arab "mind" should purchase a long out-of-print work by a retired British General/Historian Sir John Glubb Pasha entitled "A Short History of the Arab Speaking People" (1969) This 300 page book loses little for the fact that some 35 yrs have passed since its publication.virgil xenophonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14577165785872035948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-10752009336039369492018-01-02T17:24:38.669-06:002018-01-02T17:24:38.669-06:00"Iranians are not Arabs. The Quran is not the..."Iranians are not Arabs. The Quran is not the only Islamic holy book. The content of Islamic holy books, which focuses extensively on jihad, is largely objectionable."<br /><br />Iranians and Pathans and Malaysians and Bengalis aren't Arabs, but they (even the Shiites, but with different authorities) still hold the Arab culture and customs of the prophets day as normative practices. Yes, this amounts to cultural replacement, which has been noted by many observers (Naipaul being one of the more current ones). <br /><br />The cultural overlay required by Islam was not perfect, in practice. Part of the growth of the more-rigid modern forms of Islam is the result of modern technology making education in the religion more pervasive and standardized. Old holdover folk practices were usually due to lack of education. buwayahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02388691837737324814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-22724639371297677972018-01-02T17:14:48.800-06:002018-01-02T17:14:48.800-06:00In the meantime, Neda Agha Soltan is still dead.In the meantime, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1hkQtuwV38" rel="nofollow">Neda Agha Soltan is still dead</a>.Big Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15831645119853118904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-68886864144687999832018-01-02T16:26:21.126-06:002018-01-02T16:26:21.126-06:00Still with this "Muslim majority nations"...Still with this "Muslim majority nations" BS?<br />If the people with the swords - now guns - are Muslim, the country is Muslim. Hagarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05011701168912339784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-38802994548424286362018-01-02T16:05:21.641-06:002018-01-02T16:05:21.641-06:00Althouse wrote: "Islam does not have to be in...Althouse wrote: "Islam does not have to be interpreted to require an oppressive centralized government. And before you say it does, become an expert on the religion to which you are not an insider."<br /><br />One need not be an "insider" to understand the nature of Islam. For example, Voice of the Martyrs and other sources point out that the vast majority of Islamic majority nations' governments tolerate or actively participate in persecution of kafirs or restrictions of their religious and other freedoms. Apparently it depends on what you mean by "oppressive."<br /><br />Although I guess Christianity does not have to be interpreted to require a belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ either, unless, of course, you intend to actually practice the faith.<br /><br />hombrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12670099074010641958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-37056342286167514922018-01-02T16:04:04.563-06:002018-01-02T16:04:04.563-06:00Iran is taking a softer approach to those women wh...<i>Iran is taking a softer approach to those women who do not dress modestly, opting for education over punishment, Tehran’s police chief has said.</i><br /><br />How about, fuck off with either 'education' <i>or</i> punishment? Her head, her goddamn choice. I Have Misplaced My Pantshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14325799399154580481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-49340464031377390872018-01-02T15:42:15.799-06:002018-01-02T15:42:15.799-06:00Interesting results of a 2015 poll -- Among Irania...Interesting results of a 2015 poll -- <a href="https://www.ipos.me/en/polls/2015/03/18/hejab/" rel="nofollow">Among Iranians, 42% Support Voluntary Hijab while 53% Oppose"</a>:<br /><br /><i>According to a poll conducted by IPOS, 42% of Iranians say that wearing an Islamic hijab should be optional for women, while 38% believe it to be obligatory for religious reasons and another 15% maintain that it should be mandatory on strictly legal grounds. Five percent register other responses such as “I don’t know”, “I have no idea” and “I am not interested in this topic.</i><br /><br />More support for optional wearing and less for mandatory than I would have thought. And the government must be listening -- in the Tehran Times on December 28th, <a href="http://www.tehrantimes.com/news/419786/Islamic-Republic-eases-up-on-dress-code" rel="nofollow">"Islamic Republic eases up on dress code"</a>:<br /><br /><i>Iran is taking a softer approach to those women who do not dress modestly, opting for education over punishment, Tehran’s police chief has said.</i>Lydiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18380908751421386368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-4402054867551402242018-01-02T15:25:03.358-06:002018-01-02T15:25:03.358-06:00Michael K wrote: "Most of the stuff we object...Michael K wrote: "Most of the stuff we object to in political Islam is not in the Quran. A lot of it is pre-Islamic Arab culture."<br /><br />Iranians are not Arabs. The Quran is not the only Islamic holy book. The content of Islamic holy books, which focuses extensively on jihad, is largely objectionable.hombrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12670099074010641958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-5931700685636489292018-01-02T15:17:46.075-06:002018-01-02T15:17:46.075-06:00Althouse wrote: "Tim, after reading your comm...Althouse wrote: "Tim, after reading your comment, I'm interested to see that I didn't put an "Islam" tag on this post and it never crossed my mind to do so. This is political oppression. There should be religious tolerance and religious freedom."<br /><br />Islam and Sharia Law are virtually inseparable. Islam is, and always has been, a movement seeking political dominance of races, nations and, most of all, women.hombrehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12670099074010641958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-706291292983709352018-01-02T14:38:57.710-06:002018-01-02T14:38:57.710-06:00The problem for Muslims is three-fold. One, Islam...The problem for Muslims is three-fold. One, Islam has irreconcilable differences with Christianity and Judaism, and is intolerant of secular conflations. Two, it has a long and storied history of social justice adventures, redistributive change, and secular excess. Three, it is often married to a left-wing ideology that is divergent and oppressive in the extreme.n.nhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04252447117532342957noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-83846864488580858922018-01-02T14:34:44.630-06:002018-01-02T14:34:44.630-06:00It's too cold for a female chauvinist Slut Wal...It's too cold for a female chauvinist Slut Walk, but an opportunity for a "Hair" revival.n.nhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04252447117532342957noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-805513432510267372018-01-02T14:30:35.122-06:002018-01-02T14:30:35.122-06:00Ann Althouse said...
"Please move beyond igno...Ann Althouse said...<br />"Please move beyond ignorant Islamophobia. Make intelligent points here."<br /><br />Ignorant Islamophobia is when you jump off the top of a burning World Trade Tower because you foolishly believe it is better than burning to death, right? Silly Infidel!Jupiterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13008508862847561845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-76548886312090970342018-01-02T13:55:32.186-06:002018-01-02T13:55:32.186-06:00actually it is the rage against science and capita...actually it is the rage against science and capitalism of the Marxist intellectuals disguised as anti-colonialism which fuels into the so called muslim rage - which is product of a self-stunting of intellect demanded by the religious doctrines - Muhammad as prophet of the omnipotent and omnisceient.<br /><br />if god told jews to go forth and multiply; muhammad told muslims to go forth and conquer.narayananhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770598590402835653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-13899817066772470832018-01-02T13:39:10.617-06:002018-01-02T13:39:10.617-06:00I wish these brave women success, and I wish the b...I wish these brave women success, and I wish the brave people in Iran protesting against the tyrannical regime success in changing it as well. They are putting their lives and their safety on the line in doing so.Clydehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16736461252925227611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-10074415022577716032018-01-02T13:36:26.372-06:002018-01-02T13:36:26.372-06:00The world is dynamic and multifaceted.
But Islam ...<i>The world is dynamic and multifaceted.</i><br /><br />But Islam isn't. that's its major flaw. Islam requires its followers to attempt to live their lives as closely to the example of Mohammed as they can. It insists that Islam is the revealed perfect will of Allah that cannot be changed in any way.Gahriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16795449308207016641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-21046260051909522792018-01-02T13:16:13.113-06:002018-01-02T13:16:13.113-06:00Hagar said...
I also have read that among the Han ... Hagar said...<br />I also have read that among the Han Chinese, it was the senior women in the families who enforced the foot-binding practice on girl babies.<br /><br />1/2/18, 12:17 PM<br /> <br />The senior women in families were always the ones who ensured that others in the tribe conformed to social mores. That was as true among Victorian mothers in London or Des Moines as it was among the Han Chinese, Sicilians, and Arabs. <br /><br />That's what the whole "women oppressed by the patriarchy" version of history ignores or misses. Women have often been more ruthless and rigid in enforcing social mores than men. exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03996979470278945904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-67595398234572693812018-01-02T13:14:31.470-06:002018-01-02T13:14:31.470-06:00". In the case of militant Muslims, I wonder ...". In the case of militant Muslims, I wonder if the rage they feel is partly fueled by the humiliation of having been the ruled not the rulers, which was not, in Mohammed's mind, how things were supposed to play out."<br /><br />Bernard Lewis, The Roots of Muslim Rage<br /><br />https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1990/09/the-roots-of-muslim-rage/304643/buwayahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02388691837737324814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-12807093246522739172018-01-02T13:14:20.139-06:002018-01-02T13:14:20.139-06:00There is no "render unto Caesar" in Isla...<i>There is no "render unto Caesar" in Islamic law or tradition. The one example of a "secular" Islamic nation, Turkey, is currently descending back to a theocratic state.</i><br /><br />Render under Caeser was preached to a tiny minority group. Then along came Constantine and for 1500 years, Christian law and tradition meant nothing but "render unto Caeser."<br /><br />As for secular Islamic nations there are quite a few:<br /><br />Albania,<br />Azerbaijan (and other muslim-majority former Soviet states)<br />Bangladesh,<br />Indonesia,<br />Senegal<br /><br />The flaw in the assertion that Islam is by definition inimical to democracy (as Tim at large puts it) is that it is both static and restrictive. The world is dynamic and multifaceted.Henryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14520113896946845614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-42394150792983963962018-01-02T13:12:05.592-06:002018-01-02T13:12:05.592-06:00Islam does not have to be interpreted to require a...Islam does not have to be interpreted to require an oppressive centralized government. And before you say it does, become an expert on the religion to which you are not an insider.<br /><br /><br />1. Before you say it does not, become an expert on the religion to which you are not an insider.<br /><br />2. If experts told you other than what you wanted to think, you would reject them anyway.<br /><br />3. If our perceptions of Islam=Islamophobia, then feminism=androphobia.Bad Lieutenanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18091901464339059169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-22530824739443347742018-01-02T13:07:36.226-06:002018-01-02T13:07:36.226-06:00David wrote:
"It seems to me that a material...David wrote:<br /><br />"It seems to me that a materialistic analysis of Islam is by definition wrong or at least very incomplete."<br /><br />Incomplete it surely is, and I agree that those who see reality through a materialistic lens have difficulty grasping spiritual/religious motivations (indeed, I think one reason Western elites do not understand their enemies is because the elites are both secular and unimaginative. They can't believe anybody really takes this Allah Akbar stuff seriously - it must be about economics or colonialism or Israel.)<br /><br />But Islam does strike me as being much more materialistic than either Christianity or Talmudic Judaism. Mohammed's kingdom was very much of this world. Jesus never led armies into battle; Judaism managed to survive for 2000 years unmoored to a state. Islam is triumphalist; its' followers are meant to rule over dhimmis. The fact that the Islamic world fell behind the West in every measure and was then colonized by Westerners must have been especially galling for religious Muslims. Instead of "if you are so smart, why aren't you rich?" Muslims must have had the question "if your religion is so great, why are your countries poor and backward?" in the back of their minds. There have always been poor and powerless Christians and Jews, but their poverty was never an affront to their faith. In the case of militant Muslims, I wonder if the rage they feel is partly fueled by the humiliation of having been the ruled not the rulers, which was not, in Mohammed's mind, how things were supposed to play out. exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03996979470278945904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-44783202785195945052018-01-02T13:04:01.400-06:002018-01-02T13:04:01.400-06:00"First of all. the one who appears to be igno...<i>"First of all. the one who appears to be ignorant of Islam is you."</i><br /><br />Sad but true, imo.David Bakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03409670369293131186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-36007792679302433352018-01-02T12:52:48.435-06:002018-01-02T12:52:48.435-06:00Hush, Buwaya,
In most societies, it is the women w...Hush, Buwaya,<br />In most societies, it is the women who are in charge of enforcing the tribal mores; the men only think they are.Hagarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05011701168912339784noreply@blogger.com